My name is danah boyd and I'm a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research and the founder/president of Data & Society. Buzzwords in my world include: privacy, context, youth culture, social media, big data. I use this blog to express random thoughts about whatever I'm thinking.

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Just The Facts About Online Youth Victimization

Last week, i had the honor of joining three amazing (quant) social scientists on an Internet Caucus panel in DC. David Finkelhor (Director of Crimes Against Children Research Center), Amanda Lenhart (PEW), and Michele Ybarra (President of Internet Solutions for Kids) all presented quantitative data while i batted qualitative cleanup. I have to admit that i was concerned about this panel because folks throw the 1/7 number (formerly 1/5) all the time to fearmonger. I was very pleasantly shocked to find that all of us were completely on the same page and that most of the press coverage of Michele and David’s work has been terrible in representing the implications of their findings. I was very pleased with how this panel played out and ecstatic that the Internet Caucus chose to put the video up online (even if it requires Real – props to anyone who converts it to MP4 or uploads it to YouTube):

You don’t have to listen to me but i’d strongly encourage you to listen to the other three. They do a fantastic job of presenting solid data that debunks the myths that the press has been propegating for quite some time. For example, David highlights that putting up real information online has no correllation to sexual predation. It’s a great panel so enjoy!!

Update: Loud props to Michael Herzog for turning this into a playlist on YouTube:

Awesome, thanks so much for linking to the transcript! I do love me the text.

What did folks think of Dr. Finkelhor’s concept of motivating bystanders? I loved danah’s note that the real issue is lack of support from parents (for those who are bullying as well as those who are engaging in online risky behavior) and other family/social support networks. While I think that’s key, is there also a role in trying to teach kids good socialization techniques? Not only how to communicate with each other well, but also how to appropriately react in a community, and how to deal with folks who are acting inappropriately? Right now we seem to have decided that putting them into packed classrooms with minimal supervision is the way to teach this, and I’m not sure that’s really optimal. Right now kids are all pretty much figuring out how to congregate online on their own or through peers, and I wonder if this results in some opportunities missed.

Wow! Awesome information. As a young adult myself, I think much of their research is right on. I identified with a lot of their conceptions of this evolving culture in which kids have to deal with a very new technological social arena. I put up a post on my blog about this, because I think everyone should have access to this information. Spread it!

Just linked through to this from BoingBoing; I loved the entire presentation. Thank you (extends to all 4 panelists) for doing such great work and presenting the facts so well. I *hope* the lawmakers are listening.

I just saw an interview with Mark Lunsford. He is such a hypocrite. He’s been pushing for strong laws for ALL SEX OFFENDERS and now his son was accused of a sex crime and DOES NOT have to be on the sex offender registry, why? Because of who he is, period…

Mark Lunsford had child porn on his machine, why was he not prosecuted?

There is another man, who lost his daughter as well and he had child porn on his machine, guess where he is now? In prison, so why isn’t Mark Lunsford?

I am against abuse of any kind, but once someone is sentenced and does their time, they should be able to integrate into society and live a normal life, these sex offender registries do not allow that, they are punished for life, even for small crimes like urinating in public in a drunken stupor.

What about murderers, drug dealers/users, gang members, DUI offenders, thieves, etc? Why don’t we just have one CRIMINAL registry with ALL criminals on it, regardless of their crime? It’s only fair. Right now, it’s discrimination. So we can tell if our neighbors are murders, drug dealers/users, gang members, etc?